PHOTO CAPTION: Videos of local installation winners in the 2012 Operation Rising Star military singing contest are judged to select 12 finalists who appeared during live finals week at Fort Sam Houston Theatre on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

November 13, 2013
By Robert Dozier, U.S. Army Installation Management Command

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 13, 2013) -- Army Entertainment has announced the 12 finalists slated to compete in Operation Rising Star this December.

U.S. Installation Management Command G9 Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs will host and conduct the finals at Fort Sam Houston Theatre, to determine the 2013 rising star.

Operation Rising Star is a singing contest for Soldiers and military family members similar to but not affiliated with the popular television show American Idol.

Finalists from overseas garrisons include: Sgt. Oscar Bugarin from Camp Lomonnier, Djibouti; Spc. Ikilya Davenport from USAG Humphreys, Korea; and from Germany, 1st Lt. Matthew Gabriel from U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, family member Christina Lewis from U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern; and family member Raquel Sargent from U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart.

Finalists from installations in the U.S. include: Sgt. Christiana Ball from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Pfc. Kiari Mhoon from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; family members Sarah Hopkins from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Charrie Mae Riggs from Fort Campbell, Ky., and Joyce Severino from U.S. Army Garrison Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and from California, 2nd Lt. Derrick Bishop from Fort Irwin, and Sgt. Scott Harris from the Presidio of Monterey.

Audition packets, which were submitted by participating U.S. Army garrisons, contained videos of first place winners from the garrison-level competitions. These videos were considered by a panel of judges at Installation Management Command headquarters, and the 12 finalists were chosen from the best.

These finalists will compete against the other contestants in daily performances and be judged on their singing talent and stage presence. Each round of competition will be recorded and the general public will be able to view and vote for their favorite performer to move ahead in the competition. Every stage of the competition will be scored based on a combination of votes from the public and from the judges.

The initial performance will be available online at http://www.OpRisingStar.com on December 8, followed by semi-finals and finals on December 10 and 12. The winner of the 2013 competition will be revealed on December 14.

Installation Management Command G9 MWR programs operate and manage non-appropriated child-care facilities, bowling and fitness centers, golf courses, clubs, cafes and restaurants across the Army for the benefit of Soldiers and their families.

Operation Rising Star is one of their programs designed to bolster morale among troops and deliver positive reinforcement to Soldiers, military civilians and family members.

More information about Operation Rising Star, the contestants and how to view the finals can be found at http://www.armyentertainment.net.

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About the U.S. Army Installation Management Command:

IMCOM handles the day-to-day operations of U.S. Army installations around the globe -- We are the Army's Home. Army installations are communities that provide many of the same types of services expected from any small city. Fire, police, housing, and child-care are just some of the things IMCOM does in Army communities every day. Our professional workforce strives to deliver on the commitments of the Army Family Covenant, honor the sacrifices of military Families, and enable the Army Force Generation cycle.

Our vision: Ready & Resilient Army: Provide Soldiers, families and civilians with a quality of life commensurate with the quality of their service.

Our mission: IMCOM will synchronize, integrate, and deliver installation services and sustain facilities in support of senior commanders in order to enable a ready and resilient Army.